Giuliana Rancic Cancer Update

After sharing her struggles with infertility, E! network’s entertainment news anchor and host of Fashion Police Giuliana Rancic shocked fans with the announcement that she was diagnosed with breast cancer, discovered as she and Apprentice winning husband Bill Rancic were prepping for another round of in vitro fertilization. The couple, who also star in Style Network’s reality show Giuliana and Bill, were upfront with her diagnosis and recently revealed that after a double lumpectomy Giuliana would need additional surgery. After the original procedure failed to eradicate all of the cancer, the entertainment personality underwent a double mastectomy.

EOnline.com is happily reporting that Giuliana’s surgery was a success and the star “came through in great spirits.” Her husband Bill tells the network, “G is doing really well. Her surgery lasted about four hours and the doctors were very pleased with the result.” He continues, “She had a little bit of pain through the night but is feeling much better this morning and was cracking jokes.” I am so thrilled to hear that she is in a positive place after such a tumultuous ordeal.

Giuliana herself had a statement to share after her surgery, saying, “I want to thank all the viewers and fans for their support and prayers. The tweets and notes have not gone unnoticed. I am very grateful.” Without question, her well wishes will certainly continue.

Before her mastectomy, Giuliana opened up to Hollywoodlife.com about the decision to go public with her story. While the 37-year-old personality has kept her fans in the loop with the prognosis every step of the way, she reveals that sharing her story wasn’t always her intent.

Giuliana admitted, “There was definitely a period of time when we thought, we’ll probably keep this a secret… forever. And then, I don’t know, it’s just not my personality. I kept thinking to myself, ‘Gosh, I wish I could tell my friends what I’m going through or girls at work, just because I wanted to tell them to get checked and tell them, ‘Hey guys, if this can happen to me, then it could happen to you!’”

“I knew I would never be able to keep this a secret because I was armed with this incredible knowledge that if you can just find breast cancer early enough you can be totally fine and healed,” the host shares. Having made the public part of her recovery, she is probably helping more people than she could even imagine. Say what you will about her shows or her lifestyle, but bringing awareness to this disease is the most important thing that she — or anyone else with such a large public platform — could do. Kudos to you, Giuliana!

Now that Giuliana is recovering from surgery, she will surely focus on her next gig — hosting the New Year’s Eve NIVEA Kiss Platform in New York City with Bill at her side. I’m sure some will say it’s too early for her to step back into the limelight, but I believe that she’s proving she won’t let cancer stop her from living her life.

Sadly, the majority of readers have probably seen what this horrendous disease has done to the lives of family and friends. Personally, I have watched several strong and influential women in my life overcome breast cancer, becoming role models to everyone who knows them. Unfortunately, I also witnessed my mother succumb to this disease when I was twenty-two years old, and seeing the influence and awareness that people like the Rancics can bring to such a worthy cause is heartwarming to me.

Here at RT, our prayers and well wishes go out to Giuliana and Bill, as well as to all those who have been affected by breast cancer.

[Photo Credit: WENN]

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONVEY TO THE RANCICS DURING THIS TIME? THOUGHTS ON HER GOING BACK TO WORK SO SOON?

Today, the E! news reporter revealed she is choosing to undergo a double mastectomy after her double lumpectomy failed to completely eradicate the breast cancer.

Giuliana, 36, appeared on the Today Show this morning with husband Bill Rancic, during which the couple revealed they considered another lumpectomy and radiation. They are, however, electing to go with the more drastic option to make certain the cancer is gone. According to her doctors, the cancer will have a less than 1 percent chance of returning.

“At the end, all it came down to was choosing to live and not looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life,” Giuliana said of her decision to proceed with the aggressive surgery. “It was not an easy decision but it was the best decision for me.” she says.

“I would like to take the stigma away. ‘Mastectomy’ the word seemed so scary to me at first. After doing research and seeing the advancements, the surgery has come a long way from 20 years ago. The results can be incredible,” added Giuliana.

Another deciding factor for Giuliana is the fact that she and hubby Bill are still trying to have a baby. “If I had chosen to just have another lumpectomy… Then I would have to put off having a baby for several years,” said Giuliana, as the procedures following another lumpectomy could leave her at the age of menopause.

Bill’s support also played a major role in her decision. “Bill said to me, ‘I just need you around for the next 50 years, kid,’ ” said Giuliana. “He said, ‘I don’t care what you look like, I don’t care about the physical portion of this. I just need you around for the next 50 years. So, let’s just get you healthy.’ And that certainly helped me come to a decision.”

Despite the setback, the Giuliana and Bill stars remains positive. “I hope for a full recovery by New Year’s Eve. We’re planning to be in Times Square!” Giuliana says. “2012 is our year,” adds Bill. “We’re going to ring in the New Year happy and healthy.”

Best wishes to Giuliana and Bill.

[Photo credit: Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com]

TELL US – THOUGHTS ON GIULIANA’S DECISION TO UNDERGO A DOUBLE MASTECTOMY?